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Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Mitch Marner has been the subject of trade rumors, but no deal has come to fruition yet.
Marner is entering the final year of the six-year $65.41 million deal he signed in 2019. With Marner in the final year of his deal, he has been part of plenty of mock trades, but Toronto has yet to trade him and all signs point to him remaining a member of the Maple Leafs.
However, if Toronto does decide to trade Marner, analyst Stu Grimson of the NHL Network believes the Maple Leafs could get a haul for him.
“It will be a haul,” Grimson said. “I got to believe there will be a solid, established impact player, NHL player as part of the mix. Perhaps a mix of picks and prospects, to accompany a Marner. It should be a rich return.”
Marner is one of the top players in the NHL, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that Toronto would get plenty of assets for the skilled winger.
Marner recorded 26 goals and 59 assists for 85 points in 69 games last season.
Analyst Believes Maple Leafs Want A Gritty Forward in Return for Marner
If the Maple Leafs do trade Marner, Grimson believes Toronto will look to acquire a gritty forward who can score up front.
Grimson points to the Florida Panthers‘ Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett as players Toronto should want in the top six. Although Florida is unlikely to trade either of them, Grimson said someone like that would help Toronto out drastically.
“I know the Leafs covet that kind of gritty presence as part of your top six, who can also generate top-end offensive numbers,” Grimson said. “He is that one piece that may bring the added necessity as management perceives it, the added necessity back to the mix to get them over the hump.”
The Maple Leafs did have Michael Bunting who played a similar role but wasn’t as skilled offensively and often took dumb penalties, which Tkachuk and Bennett are good at not doing.
Marner Wants to Remain in Toronto
Despite Marner being the subject of trade rumors, the skilled winger wants to remain a Maple Leaf for the foreseeable future.
Marner was eligible to sign an extension as of July 1, and although he has yet to sign an extension, at the year-end media availability, the Toronto native made it clear he wanted to remain with his hometown team.
“That’d be a goal. I’ve expressed my love for this place, this city. Obviously, I’ve grown up here. We’ll start thinking about that now and trying to figure something out. … It means the world to me,” Marner told the media on May 6.
“We’re looked upon as kind of Gods here, to be honest, and something that you really appreciate. The love that you get here from this fan base and this attention is none like any other. You saw with the [NBA’s Toronto] Raptors a couple of years ago, the love [fans] still have for a lot of those players [who helped them win a championship in 2019] that they had to trade off this year. That’s the love you want,” Marner added.
Marner has spent his entire eight-year NHL career in Toronto.
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